Filip Naglić, the director of special projects within this humanitarian organisation has said in an interview for Hina that in the recent years, the main activities have been collection and distribution of aid for victims of the devastating earthquakes that hit Croatia in 2020 and participation in international humanitarian drives.
"Today Caritas Croatia aims to remove the causes of poverty and to promote solidarity and social justice, acting as the voice for the poor and marginalised. Caritas Croatia’s extensive work includes humanitarian aid for emergency situations, advocacy work for the vulnerable, poverty alleviation, promoting voluntarism and strengthening the network of parish Caritas, collaboration with other Croatian Bishops’ Conference offices and diocesan institutions," it was said on the charity's website.
Rise in number of beneficiaries using
Naglić told Hina that in 2022, the number of beneficiaries using Caritas assistance rose by nearly 32% compared to 2021.
This rise is due to the accommodation of refugees who fled the war in Ukraine to find shelter in Croatia, and also due to more and more cases of crises situations and natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding in Croatia, said Naglić.
Caritas's assistance to quake-hit central Croatia stands at €4.25 m
Caritas is active in providing assistance to quake victims in Sisak-Moslavina County, and donations of other national Caritas associations, and donations raised in Croatian Catholic missions as well as by Roman Catholic dioceses and parishes enabled the procurement of 192 modular housing units, worth €2 million, to ensure accommodation for families with over 600 members in the area of Banovina.
The assistance so far provided to quake victims in Banovina has reached €4.25 million, says Naglić.
Caritas Croatia is cooperating with Caritas Poland in the reconstruction of 21 quake-damaged houses in Banovina. It is also engaged in the implementation of a € 1.4 million project that will enable 58 families to have access to drinking water services in that part of Croatia..
Caritas Croatia and Caritas Canada are together providing assistance to 13 families whose homes were destroyed in the 2020 earthquake, and this projects stands at €34,000.
€871,000 raised through donations for Ukraine war victims
Caritas Croatia has been engaged in providing assistance to Ukrainians since the start of the war.
It has raised € 871,000 for those victims, and also collected material donations, worth 413,000 for Ukraine.
Caritas Croatia and the office for humanitarian affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are cooperating in efforts to make it easier for Ukrainian refugees to be integrated in Croatian society. The value of this project is €1.3 million.
Over a million euros raised for victims of Turkey-Syria earthquake in Feb 2023
Furthermore, this Croatian charity has collected and delivered financial and material assistance for quake victims in Turkey and Syria, and the value of this aid is over a million euros.
"Caritas Croatia has been active in distributing humanitarian aid for emergency situations to countries all over the world, such as Kosovo, Turkey, Venezuela, El Salvador, India, Iraq and Iran, Eastern Africa, Syria and Pakistan," it says on its website.
Naglić recalls also that Caritas Croatia helps those in need in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Yemen, Nigeria, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and the Gaza Strip.
It is collaborating with international, national and local organizations to ensure an efficient disaster response.
Caritas Croatia in cooperation with other institutions is providing scholarships for students from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan and Iran.
During the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, Caritas Croatia was engaged in providing assistance to migrants accommodated in the Opatovac reception centre and in other centres in east Croatia.